The Last Esper [BL] Chapter 20: The Burrow

The Burrow, before becoming the rebellion’s headquarters, was a makeshift shelter in an old warehouse building, where a handful of elders gathered in secret to tell stories about the world before Magnus Blackwood’s regi.

Tales that spoke of a ti when espers existed and where citizens could still choose what to believe or what to fear.

The young people who listened to these stories, sitting on the ground or hanging from the tal beams, absorbed every word, until those stories planted the seed of rebellion.

Before taking up arms, they decided to start with what was essential: helping those who had been forgotten.

The Burrow beca the rebellion’s rallying point. They took the food they managed to steal from the factories that supplied the wealthy neighborhoods there: canned goods, bread, and powdered milk. Later, they ventured out with dicines, blankets, clothing, and tools. They distributed everything secretly throughout the poorest districts, moving through the shadows like modern-day Robin Hoods.

It was in this environnt that their two natural leaders erged: Milo and Gunnar.

They weren’t the strongest or the most violent, but they possessed sothing much more contagious: conviction.

Their words weren’t speeches—they were promises filled with hope. Their presence instilled a confidence that was hard to explain. That’s why, over ti, they beca the faces of the rebellion.

Milo, in particular, was soone who left no one behind.

He was the one who rescued Rhys years ago, when a resistance patrol was ambushed by forces loyal to Magnus. A bullet had struck Rhys in the side, leaving him bleeding on the pavent.

Despite wearing the uniform of a regi soldier, Milo carried him to The Burrow, nursed him back to health, and during his recovery, spoke to him about the world they were trying to rebuild. He didn’t demand loyalty—he simply offered the truth.

Rhys heard it, and although he didn’t say it right away, sothing opened inside him. And when he returned to the regi headquarters, he wasn’t the sa.

It was Rhys who spoke to Caelan, who looked him in the eye and told him the enemy wasn’t where they’d been taught to look. It was also Rhys who brought Jae in, and, little by little, other soldiers who had begun to ask themselves the sa questions.

Together, they beca double agents. They stayed close to Blackwood, like loyal hounds, but in reality they were eyes, ears, and hands at the service of The Burrow.

Thanks to them, the rebels could plan and act against Blackwood.

"I thought the plan was to kill the esper," Milo said.

The eting room was large, with unfinished gray walls and hanging lamps that flickered with a faint hum. In the center, a circle of folding chairs took up almost all the available space.

n and won, mostly Rhys and Caelan’s age, occupied the seats, forming a sort of impromptu council. So wore military uniforms, others ordinary clothes, all with attentive expressions.

Milo stood in the middle of the circle, speaking in a firm voice, his hands clasped behind his back.

Gunnar, larger and sharp-eyed, sat to Rhys’s left, watching silently, while Caelan sat to the right, shifting his leg restlessly.

Nobody spoke.

Everyone listened to Milo attentively.

"It was a spontaneous change of plans," Rhys replied.

"Since when do you change our plans on a whim?" Milo snapped.

Keeping Eun-woo alive was a risk, not only because of the danger he posed, but because he was a magnet for Blackwood. The rebels had taken his precious esper, and it wouldn’t be long before the dictator made his fury felt.

Rhys couldn’t ignore the obvious: his escape from the Research Center had been too easy. There were no gunshots, no soldiers blocking his path, no alarms going off.

Everything had gone too well.

That could only an one thing: Blackwood had let him go on purpose. Perhaps he was planning to teach him a lesson, a real one, a punishnt that would once and for all extinguish the spark of rebellion that still burned within him.

It was a control tactic. A cruel reminder of who really had the final say. Though it was contradictory, because with that move, he also endangered his most valuable asset: the last esper.

Sothing was missing. A piece of the puzzle that eluded Rhys. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

"Eun-woo is not a threat," Rhys assured.

Milo curled his lips in a grimace of annoyance.

"What do you think?" he asked Gunnar.

Gunnar was silent for a few seconds. He rubbed his knuckles thoughtfully, then finally spoke in a deep, asured voice:

"If we can get him to bond with one of our Guides... we might have a chance. We could use him to attack Magnus from within."

A murmur broke out in the room. So exchanged aningful glances, while others nodded silently.

Rhys slamd the back of his chair and stood up.

"Even if his nature as an esper is to kill, Eun-woo isn’t a weapon... He’s gentle, kind, and peaceful. You can’t... you shouldn’t use him."

A woman sitting near the back snorted in disapproval. A man, closer to the center, muttered a few curses.

Gunnar remained silent, watching Rhys closely, but not intervening.

"An esper without a Guide is a risk," Milo interrupted, his tone stern. "Especially now. He’s exposed. He can feel the pull of the Rifts. Do you know what that ans?"

Rhys knew it, but he pressed his lips together tightly. Tension gripped the room.

"So what do you suggest?" Rhys shot back. "Force him into a bond? Turn him into a weapon to do our dirty work?"

A woman across the circle looked away uncomfortably. Another young man looked down at the ground, while a third shook his head, clearly in disagreent.

Milo crossed his arms. His gaze hardened.

"It’s not about what we want, it’s about what we need to survive."

Gunnar clicked his tongue in annoyance, but didn’t contradict him.

Rhys clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and swallowed before raising his voice again.

"I... I think I can bond with him."

The room erupted in a murmur again. Nearly everyone leaned forward, whispering in disbelief, while others stared at Rhys, as if they’d heard wrong.

"What are you saying?" Milo gaped at him. "You’re not a Guide, Rhys. It’s impossible."

Rhys forced himself to et Milo’s gaze before answering.

"I know. I’m not a Guide. But... sothing about him. Eun-woo feels sothing. An affinity I don’t understand, but it’s real. I feel it every ti I get close. And..." He paused, swallowing his embarrassnt. "Once... he slled Magnus on ."

The words hung in the air. So looked away, others lowered their heads, knowing what this ant without further elaboration.

Rhys continued, his voice lower, as if every word stripped away a layer of his dignity.

"And he reacted... like an esper sensing another esper in his Guide. He freaked out. It was instinctive. I don’t know how to explain it, but you have to believe ... Sothing unites us."

An awkward silence settled in for a few seconds, until a high-pitched voice rose from the back.

"What if you just fell in love with him?" All eyes turned to a young woman with braided hair and a stern expression. She didn’t hesitate when she spoke. "What if you’re saying all this because you don’t want him to get involved with soone else? What if this is all just jealousy?"

The murmuring returned, this ti louder. Several people nodded, murmuring to each other. Others shook their heads, raising their voices in Rhys’s defense.

"Rhys would never lie about sothing like that!"

"Clearly he’s protecting the Esper!"

"This is not the ti to play with emotions!"

"Rhys has risked more than all of us combined!"

Voices overlapped, and chaos filled the room. Rhys stood, his fists clenched at his sides, holding back the whirlwind of doubt and accusation.

Caelan stood up.

"Enough!" he exclaid, raising his voice loudly. "Shouting at each other isn’t going to fix this!"

The silence was imdiate.

Caelan scanned them with his eyes, frowning.

"We’re getting off track. We’re not here to pick apart soone’s feelings. Rhys shared sothing important. Whatever it is, we need to investigate it, not attack it."

Milo crossed his arms.

"Let’s say you can bond with the esper. Alright, genius. What’s your big plan?"